Anak yg Terkasihku 25 Maret 2018

My beloved child!! I love being a MAMA!

hallo lagi! Sister Ratu again reporting live in the hustlin & bustlin, craziest city I have ever been in, JAKARRRTAAA! 

Some of my favorite highlights of being able to train the incredible Sister Fabrizio is watching her experience her FIRST TIME:

with FOOD!

- eating a cabe (pepper).. she took a little nibble and her whole face went bright red. she is the BEST HAHA!

- eating sambal.. she thought she was good with spicy, until she came here.. don't worry. I am training her to be a sambal master 

- eating rambut nenek, a very delicious and under-rated treat, that is my personal fave

- eating AYAM BAKPAO HAHA also a piece of my childhood from our local Asian bakery in CA, and one of the delicacies (to me, at least.. :) ) that are sold on the side of the streets here. way cheap, way enak oh YA!

- eating soto ayam.. also another one of my faves, and now her favorite!

- PISANG GORENG!!! 

with CRAZY/WEIRD JUST IN INDO THINGS!

- being the only white person and everyone calling out "I LOVE YOU MISTER!!"

- her first BAJAY RIDE.. a crazy lil blue car that barely fits three people 

- first angkot ride. a crazy bigger van that can fit like 8 people, but they like to squeeze in at least 15 hahaha

- the jam packed buses and trains

- making babies cry because she is white 

& yg paling penting, WITH MISSIONARY WORK!!

- leading lessons already! 

- bearing powerful testimonies in her already wonderful Bahasa

- contacting and contacting and contacting like crazzzyyyyy!!! 

We had the best lesson with Sitara & Benny last night. Benyamin said a prayer for us for his very first time all by himself! It was so simple, yet so powerful. Usually he only prays if we pray, and he repeats after us. But last night, he prayed on his own and it filled all of our hearts with so much love! Brought everyone of us to tears, and makes me feel very thankful to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people and helps us to truly be closer to our Father in Heaven. It only is the Spirit that touches the hearts of man!

have a wonderful week! I am alive & well & grateful everyday to be here. :)

After a very emotionally, mentally, physically draining lesson.. the Lord blessed me with a PUG on the way home :")

1- lunch date with some of my FAVES!!! :)

2- showing my nak the right things to buy at Indomaret

3- Norma & Clara!

4- you know you're BFFS when you do potato face selfies together ;)

5- the new district fam!

dengan kasih,

Sister Ratu <3

Zion.18 Maret 2018

Hai fam & friends!!

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN CRAZY! I don't really know where to start because so much happened and I am still very sleep deprived to be honest hahahaha. 

We said goodbye to our beloved sisters going home, welcomed in a new sister, sisters in Bogor came down for PLD, futsal, an incredible Zone Conference, heard from Elder Funk and an apostle Elder Stevenson at Konferensi, said bye to my beloved comp- Sister Fugs and sent her back to Solo, had the best week with my partner in crime- Sister Nuku, with a lot of apartment complications and taxi rides and don't forget the macet (traffic)!!!

AND THE BEST NEWS IS..

ITS A GIRL!!!!

YES, IT IS TRUE. I, SISTER RATU, HAVE BECOME A MOTHER!!!

My dream of training has finallllllly come true! I was so happy and truly did cry tears of joy hahaha.

After 15 months of longing for a child, I have finally been given the glorious opportunity to train the new sister, SISTER FABRIZIO!! It's my last 12 weeks, and her FIRST 12 weeks, and so far, sooo good! Seriously, we get along so well. She is so sweet, and so brave. I am already such a proud Ibu and I feel so blessed to be with her!!!! She gets me PUMPED!

And then yesterday, we had an incredible opportunity to hear from Elder Funk and Elder Anderson. It was probably one of my favorite days on the mission and I won't ever forget the feelings and impressions I got as I listened to the Lord's servants speak to us. I'll never forget how strong the Spirit was as I watched saints from alllll over Indonesia, from America, Aussie, Iran, etc. gather there to hear the words of an apostle of the Lord.

Elder Anderson informed us that he will be reporting back to President Nelson about his time here in Jakarta. Elder Anderson said he will tell President that he found something here.. that he found ZION!!

I can't really sum up into words my feelings of gratitude and joy for the chance I have to serve here in Jakarta Indonesia. I know that this indeed is the Lord's work and it is a glorious work. I am loving it so much, and I don't think it could get any better than this. :)

Have a blessed week!!!

rendem wie niko<3!

xo Sister Ratu<3

ADEL & THE SISTAS!!!

Sudah 1 Tahun di Indo! 12 Maret 2018

"Oma, how old are you?"- me "I was born in 1909...so I think I am 113??"-her

I was so excited about last week that I forgot about my one year mark in this beautiful and blessed country called Indo freakin nesia!!! This morning, I was reunited with my saudaras, Sis Nukez & Elder Nielsen, and we headed out to the immigration office to renew our visas. so CRAZY! I actually cannot believe that it's been a year. It was so fun to be together with them again and to see how much we've grown, learned, and experienced, and it felt good to laugh about those ye olde MTC days. Shoutout to the SUSU KELUARGA district:")

Our investigators, Adel & Elisabeth are doing great, and we are meeting a lot of great people. I have been reflecting a lot about why I am here and I often think of my family here in Indo and how much I desire for them to accept the Gospel and the blessings that come with it. I know that I am here not only to help my family know the way home to our Heavenly Father, but to also help my other brothers and sisters out! 

President Subandriyo is the man and just sent me this quote. I think it suites well into what I'm trying to put down.
"I believe that every man, woman, and child has felt the call of heaven at some point in his or her life. Deep within us is a longing to somehow reach past the veil and embrace Heavenly Parents we once knew and cherished. Yet, no matter your history—if you have faltered, failed, feel broken, bitter, betrayed, or beaten—know that you are not alone. God still calls to you."

I am grateful for the Lord's love for me and for each of us. I feel it everyday and I am thankful for the tender mercies He sends me.. like meeting a lil pug after getting hard core rejected. :-)

Mosiah 24:10-16 is where it's at! I hope you all have the greatest week! Thank you for the prayers and the support!

Rendem wia niko!

Sister Ratu<3

Great Aunt #2!!!! 4 Maret 2018

^ Pictured: the gang at MLC! Not pictured: Our new mission president and wife, President & Sister Subandriyo. We will miss President & Sister Rowley so much, but I know that the Lord needs them serving in the Singapore mission. Sure do love them!

THISSSS WEEEKKKK INNN JAKARRRTTTAAAA SELATAAANNNNNNN:

FIRST, this week I met ANOTHER one of my great aunts. I am pretty sure that's who she is..

My Opa is the younger brother of her father?? Do ya know what I mean??

But yeah, that was pretty insane! Her name is Mama Linda, she is from Tondano, Manado, and she was in Jakarta for the weekend. My other great aunt (the first one I met) Nancy, calls me and tells me Linda is in Jakarta and wants to meet me. So we head over to KoCas, meet at Wingstop (YES, WINGSTOP HAHAH. aka my first job as a 16 yr old and where Bren met her husband hahaha), and Linda tells me all these stories of her youth growing up with my dad and his twin! It was so crazy and so beautiful alll at the same time. She used to live in the apt. complex I live in right now when she was my age, and my dad and Maxi were living here at the time too. It was another moment on the mission where my testimony of God's Perfect Plan was strengthened in my life. A moment that testified to me of the importance of families and how the Gospel is exactly what will enable us to become an eternal family! We had the chance to share a bit of the Plan of Salvation with her, and I know I will see her again!

Linda gave me a rundown of our family history (that she knows of) and it has been such a blessing to slowly but surely pick pieces up and put them together.. cuz before the misi, I HAD NO IDEA what my family history was! I have felt very strongly that Indo really is my home, and not only that, but along the way, I have learned who I really am, and who my family really is. And to me, that is the one of the most incredible blessings!

SECOND, our incredible investigator, Elisabeth, came to church and brought her family! We have been trying soooo hard to get her to come, and she FINALLY CAME! I honestly teared up seeing her and her family walk in because Elisabeth has gone through so much, and she is really growing so much too. She even bore her testimony of the divinity of God and how she feels that this gospel is true.

There's so much work to be done here, and I feel blessed to be here everyday! This is the Lord's work!

Sending ya all my love from Indo to wherever you are!!

xo Sister Ratu <3 

I love you all and am grateful for the support and prayers!

1- WINGSTOP IN INDO HAHA

2- MAMA LINDA!

3- Elisabeth!!! Our beautiful friend from Iran :)

4- bball jamz

5- livin large in LA ;)

6- fave person... Adel <3

7- jakarta<3

8- benny & the power of the UKE & primary songs !